The hair care industry is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States alone. The industry includes the development, production, and marketing of a large array of products for hair care, including shampoos, gels, mousses, lotions, sprays, conditioners, coloring products, pomades, serums, waxes, and repair products. Most of these products utilize pre-formed polymers developed to impart a desired characteristic upon application to a user's hair. For example, polymers are used to give hair shine, style hair, preserve hair style, give hair a desired texture or feel, enhance hair color, condition hair, dry hair so it sets quickly, straighten or smoothen hair, soften hair, strengthen hair, make hard-to-treat hair manageable, enhance optical properties, provide hold to hair, provide frizz control and/or to repair damaged hair.
Existing hair care treatments, however, suffer from numerous limitations. One problem common to many hair care products is poor efficacy and longevity. For example, existing hair care treatments are not robust and can lose their efficacy over the course of a day. Many treatments lose their efficacy upon exposure to water or excess humidity. In addition, many hair treatments weigh down hair, flake off, leave unsightly residues, fail to dry and set quickly, do not provide adequate hold, and are not effective for hard-to-treat hair (e.g., naturally curly hair). Treatments have been developed which overcome some of these issues; however, they typically involve permanently treating the hair with reducing and/or oxidizing agents which can damage hair. Thus, there remains a need for hair treatments that withstand the rigors of a typical user's daily routine and can maintain efficacy in a variety of environments without damaging hair fibers. In addition, hair care products which are designed to protect hair or deliver agents which improve hair strength, shine, color, and arrangement suffer from similar limitations as they also exhibit poor efficacy and longevity requiring daily application. It is preferable that a hair treatment be long lasting, not weigh down hair, not flake, and not leave any undesirable residues. Furthermore, the hair treatment should preferably dry and set relatively quickly, provide adequate hold, and be able to manage hard-to-treat hair.